From:
Kym Barone
Date: 2002-06-02 14:32:00 UTC
Subject: [Ferret-Health-list] new to the list, old ferret
Donna,
I'm not a vet, but have had a lot of experience with many ferret
illnesses. You need to get your ferret to a vet immediately - NOT your
regular vet. I don't know where you live, but I urge you to find another
one asap. Your ferret was losing all of his hair because he has adrenal
disease - an extremely common ailment that ferrets get. Male ferrets
with adrenal disease develop prostate problems, and if that is left
untreated, they are unable to pass urine. As I said, I am not a vet but
I am VERY concerned that at least ONE of your problems today *could* be
that your ferret is becoming blocked. Death can occur within hours of
being blocked, so you cannot wait! The fact that you gave fluids
(generally, a good thing to do with a sick ferret) may have just made
the problem worse - it will increase his need to pee and he won't be
able to -IF that's what's wrong. The other symptoms you provided aren't
consistent with blocking, so I'm thinking that you may have other
problems occurring at the same time, so additional problems/treatments
need to be checked out as well. If there is any chance that he is
blocking, though, you don't have time to wait (and sounds like even if
that's not what's wrong, you may not have time to wait anyway).
Please, once your ferret gets help, *please* help educate your old vet,
there is NO excuse in this day and age not knowing that hair loss in
ferrets is almost always attributed to adrenal disease. I don't mean to
sound harsh, really! But all it takes is for your vet to own one simple
book, Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents, to at least have the proper tool to
know about the major (extremely common!!!!!) ferret illnesses. The
hind-leg weakness is also a very common symptom of another very common
ailment, insulinoma, which any vet who has even attempted to learn about
ferrets would know about.
I pray for you and your ferret! Please, find an emergency vet right
away. I know vets all over PA, but outside of the state I don't know
that I can help you, but I can try. Where are you?? I will be thinking
good thoughts for you!!!
Kym
Ferret Mommy to 20
L'il Grunt, Kerplunk, Mookie, Mikayla, Marty, Tanglefoot, Tumbleweed,
Corky, Tequila Sunrise, Squirt, Piggly Wiggly, Trouble Too, Muse,
Patchwork Princess, Boo, Homer, Connie, Bonnie, Sallie, and Tangerine
Twist
Meet the kids: http://www.ferretmommy.com <http://www.ferretmommy.com/>
-----Original Message-----
From: myzoo8 [mailto:MyZoo8@c...]
Sent: Sunday, June 02, 2002 4:57 PM
To: Ferret-Health-list@yahoogroups.com
Hi, I'm new and was hoping someone could answer some concerns I have.
We adopted 2 ferrets about 2 years ago. Now the female is about 3 and
the male is about 7 years old. The male has been in poor health for
about a year now. He eats, but still looks like a skeleton (problem
#1). And lately he keeps urinating in his hammock(problem #2) and is
losing his hair from the urinic acid. I wash his hammock every few
days, but it's not helping.